Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse

Virginia Mason Medical Center; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Washington state seeks a Wound Ostomy Nurse (WOCN) to deliver expert in-home care, connecting hospital services with patients and families for safe, effective healing.

You will manage complex wound, ostomy, and continence needs, develop protocols, provide expert consultations, and coordinate multidisciplinary plans while educating patients and staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing and WOCN certification required.
• Two+ years experience in a WOCN role; ambulatory and inpatient care experience.
• Technical expertise in wound and ostomy care.

Responsibilities

• Delivers expert in-home care for wound ostomy and continence needs.
• Develops protocols and practice standards for care.
• Provides expert consultation and hands-on care for patients.
• Coordinates multidisciplinary care plans and outcomes-driven protocols.
• Advances education for patients, families, and healthcare staff.
• Performs advanced treatments like wound care, including VACs and infusions.

Skills

In-home care

Patient advocacy

Clinical documentation

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Nursing

WOCN certification

Job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Wound Ostomy Nurse, you will connect our hospital directly to the community, delivering specialized in-home care that empowers patients to heal comfortably and effectively.

Some of the duties to include:

• Develops Protocols & Practice Standards for managing patients with wound ostomy and incontinence care needs.
• Serves as resource person for Wound, Ostomy Care patient care practices within the organization.
• Provides expert consultation and/or hands‑on care for individual patients with acute or chronic wounds.
• Establish/coordinate multi‑disciplinary, comprehensive management plans for patients with ostomy and/or wound care needs.
• Performs conservative sharp instrumental wound debridement of devitalized tissue and chemical cauterization per physician order.
• Coordinates care for populations of patients, identifying trends, and developing standardized prevention and treatment protocols and refining protocols based on outcomes.
• Provides expert consultation for individual patients undergoing surgical placement of ostomy, including surgical marking.
• Advocates for patients with skin and wound care needs.
• Develops and implements educational tools for patients, staff, and other health care providers.

Every day you will expertly manage in‑home patient visits, performing advanced treatments like PICC line care, wound vacs, and infusions, while educating patients and families on complex conditions and treatments.

To be successful in this role you must be an exceptionally organized, independent professional, adept at managing complex schedules, patient care, and technology‑driven documentation. Your deep commitment to patient engagement and advocacy will make you a vital defense against declining health, fostering a profound impact on individual well‑being.

Job Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing and WOCN certification as a Wound Ostomy Nurse and two plus (2+) years experience in a WOCN role
• High level of understanding of patient care continuum including ambulatory and inpatient areas
• Technical expertise in wound and ostomy care including pressure injury prevention reporting

Preferred

• MSN and three plus (3+) years experience in a WOCN role

Where You'll Work

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health brings together two award winning health systems in Washington state - CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason. As one integrated health system with the most patient access points in western Washington our team includes 18,000 staff and nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers. At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health you will find the safest and highest quality of care provided by our expert, compassionate medical care team at 11 hospitals and nearly 300 sites throughout the greater Puget Sound region.